The lofty and beautiful flower upon a cliff, blooming in Millennium, revered by all.
"Yes, that would be me."
"...Buchou, what did you just say?"
"Chi-chan, I know you've become addicted to the cuteness of this super-genius frail beautiful girl, but if you're starting to hear things, perhaps you should increase your sleeping hours?"
"No, I heard you loud and clear, what are you talking about... More importantly, there really are a lot."
Chihiro scratched her cheek as she looked at the massive quantity of Yokai MAX, enough to fill an entire warehouse. The club members would be happy, but...
"Is this... good for your health?"
"That's an oddly un-Chi-chan-like question today. Do you think it could possibly be healthy?"
"...I guess not."
Whether it was healthy or not was a trivial matter. Veritas and the energy drink Yokai MAX... were in a relationship that could never be severed.
"I prefer canned coffee over Yokai MAX... but I guess this isn't so bad once in a while."
After a moment of contemplation, Chihiro popped open a can and started drinking. Seeing this, Himari silently and quietly moved away, heading towards her one-and-only sanctuary in Millennium, her paradise.
This was absolutely not because she was sulking that she had given Mika a priceless treasure, yet had received no gift in return. Absolutely not.
"...Himari-sunbae, Rio-sunbae is looking for you."
...To think she had to see the face of that filth-like Rio on such a fine day. Her fortune for the day must be the absolute worst, Himari thought.
***
"I've been waiting for you, Himari."
"...It's been a while since we've met face-to-face like this, Rio. What brings you to seek me out?"
"I called you here because of this."
Rio, sitting at her desk, answered Himari's question nonchalantly and placed two gift boxes on the table.
Himari was about to retort, wondering if Rio was trying to boast about receiving a gift, but she swallowed her words.
Rio couldn't possibly be unaware of how many gifts she, the super-genius beautiful girl who enjoyed unparalleled popularity in Millennium, received. It would be strange to boast to her with just two gifts, and besides, Rio wasn't the type to show off to others in the first place.
"...Oh my?"
Approaching the desk, Himari's eyes widened as she read the inscriptions on the two gift boxes. This was something that even she, a genius who could mock the gods, had not anticipated.
Perhaps it was a bit too early to judge her fortune for the day...
[To the greatest genius in Millennium☆]
[To the greatest beauty in Millennium☆]
"They're gifts from Trinity's Tea Party Host, Mika. You've met her, so you must know who she is."
"Of course, I know Mika-chan, but... if it's the greatest genius and beauty in Millennium, it must naturally refer to me, Akeboshi Himari, the holder of an 'Omniscience' degree and the proud winner of the school's popularity poll, correct? Therefore, these gifts are..."
"Omniscience? What's that now... Only one of these is yours."
"...Pardon?"
"If you didn't hear me correctly, I can repeat myself."
"No, there's no need. I was just... a little confused, that's all."
Faced with the two gift boxes, Himari fell into deep thought.
The greatest genius in Millennium would, of course, be her.
And the greatest beauty in Millennium would, also of course, be her.
But only one of them was hers?
This was, in essence, a test asking whether she prioritized her intellect or her physical beauty.
'Mika-chan, you do play such difficult pranks.'
Himari cautiously posed a question to Rio, who was silently reviewing documents after presenting her with the choice.
"To say that only one of these two gifts is mine must mean the other one is yours, Rio?"
"So it would seem."
"Then which one do you believe is yours?"
At that question, Rio gave Himari a blank stare and replied.
"Is that important?"
"It is. If the owner of this gift is already decided, then depending on my choice, the gift might go to the wrong person. Of course, it's impossible for the choice of this super-genius beautiful girl to be wrong."
"Then from today, you'll have to drop one of those two titles by your own choice."
"..."
Watching Himari once again fall into anguish over a trivial matter, Rio turned her gaze back to her documents. As she did, she recalled the message Mika had sent along with these gifts.
[I'd like you to send me a picture of Himari-chan agonizing over which one to choose. I can already picture how amusing it will be!]
[One of them is your gift, Rio-chan, but I'm sure Himari-chan will make the right choice, so there's nothing to worry about☆]
Just as Mika had said, watching Himari in such torment was a rather enjoyable sight. The choice of having to discard one of the identities that defined her with her own hands was truly a cruel dilemma for Himari.
"...I've decided."
"Mm."
"Physical beauty is bound to wither someday. Of course, the looks of a beautiful girl such as myself will surely remain lovely no matter how old I get... but it is a fact that it will fade. On the other hand, transcendent intellect remains eternal."
"Does that mean you're choosing this one?"
Rio pointed to the box labeled 'greatest genius'.
"No. My choice is quite the opposite."
"...Why is that?"
"Because Mika-chan would have anticipated that I would reach such a conclusion. Therefore, I will twist it one more time. The conclusion of Akeboshi Himari, the one and only frail beautiful girl in Kivotos, is that the box labeled 'greatest beauty' is mine."
"...?"
As Rio tilted her head, unable to understand why Himari would deliberately twist the answer to a problem posed by someone as straightforward as Mika, Himari confidently tore open the gift.
And.
[To the greatest beauty in Millennium, Tsukatsuki Rio☆]
[If by chance Himari read this first, you might be a little disappointed?]
"..."
Receiving Rio's emotionless gaze, Himari slowly pushed the box towards Rio and covered her face with her hands. If Rio had at least laughed at her, it might have been a little less embarrassing, but because her opponent was Rio, the lack of even a minor reaction amplified her shame.
And then, a rare, faint smile graced the lips of Rio as she checked the gift that was confirmed to be hers.
The pajamas, a jarring mix of over a dozen colors... had surprisingly captured her heart.
"...What Noa said was true."
Peeking through her fingers, Himari couldn't help but marvel at the sight of Rio showing a smile outside of a business conversation. Just look at her fashion sense; it's no wonder she's so popular when a person who is a million light-years away from such a disastrous aesthetic sense can be so considerate and accommodating.
'Come to think of it, she was no ordinary master of deception during our first meeting, either...'
A shiver ran down her spine; if it hadn't been for Noa, even she, the frail beautiful girl, might have been utterly charmed without putting up a fight.
For her, who had a strong sense of self, and for Rio, who could be called ego personified, Mika was a natural enemy.
And yet, the fact that she inwardly hoped for her own gift from Mika made her think that perhaps Mika was more frightening, like a slowly seeping poison.
[Ahaha. Of course, I thought you'd value intellect more☆ I'm sure you figured out the answer right away, Himari-chan, but it was a pretty good time for contemplation, wasn't it?]
"..."
It was true. She had just overthought it and tripped over herself.
[To the pride of Millennium, an elf of intellect and beauty the likes of which humanity's history will never see again. A being of such purity that she could turn Grade 2 water into Grade 1 just by dipping her hand in it, and a possessor of a frail beauty that makes everyone around her fret on a windy day. A frail super-genius whose radiance outshines the sunflower and cannot be hidden even in a field of flowers. Merry Christmas!]
"...Hmph?"
Where on earth does this person find such magnificent epithets? In any case, she decided to make good use of them when her own repertoire ran dry. Having committed them to memory, Himari checked her gift.
"...These are, sleeping socks?"
The contents were a total of five pairs of colorful sleeping socks. They looked warm enough to be perfect for getting through the winter. (TN: "Sleeping socks" are thick, fluffy socks worn indoors for warmth, not necessarily for sleeping.)
After staring at them blankly for a moment, Himari let out a small chuckle.
"Next year, I'll have to discreetly drop a hint to Mika-chan about my tastes..."
How would Mika react when she heard that she, the greatest genius Millennium had ever produced, was interested in subjects like the occult, things farthest from reason and rationality? Himari found it hard to hide her curiosity.
"..."
"Why are you staring at me like that, Rio. Would you like a pair?"
"..."
To the silently nodding Rio, Himari ended up conceding a pair of socks.
Himari was not yet aware that a video recording of this conversation was scheduled to be delivered into Mika's hands.
***
"Ah, Noa, you're just in time. Find me a document! It's, uh, related to the postponement of the Game Development Department's dissolution..."
"It's in the second drawer to the right of your desk, Yuuka-chan♪"
Noa, having escorted Himari to Rio and returned to the Seminar room, answered calmly upon hearing her name being called.
"Ah, here it is. Thanks, Noa! Honestly, getting held back and making things difficult for everyone...!"
Did the sole remaining member of that club, Millennium's only student scheduled to be held back this year, know that the club, which by regulation should have been disbanded this quarter, was able to continue on a little longer because Yuuka had pulled some strings behind the scenes?
Even if she didn't, Noa thought that such a kind side of Yuuka would surely reach her someday. Clearing her throat, Noa posed a question to Yuuka.
"Ahem. Yuuka-chan, do you perhaps notice anything different about me?"
"...U-Um? So suddenly?"
For a moment, Yuuka looked flustered by Noa's out-of-the-blue question. After scanning Noa from head to toe, Yuuka shook her head.
"Sorry, I have no idea. What's different?"
"I can't believe it. I didn't know you paid so little attention to me, Yuuka-chan. Now I'm worried for the person who will one day take you as their bride."
"...Wh-Why are you suddenly bringing that up? Anyway, I really don't know what's changed. Don't tell me it's something like your lip stain being a slightly different shade, is it?"
"Fufu. It's not that. Now, tada!"
"...???"
As Noa held out her arm, her sleeve rolled up to reveal a simple, black bracelet.
"Noa... if you ask me the question without showing me what's different, how am I supposed to get the answer right?"
"Hmm... with your intuition?"
"...Hah. More importantly, is that a Christmas present from the Tea Party Host?"
"Yes. By any chance, did you receive a gift as well, Yuuka-chan?"
"I did, but..."
Yuuka took a small box out of her bag and showed her the white bracelet inside, which was of a similar design to Noa's.
"Aha. So they're what you would call friendship bracelets."
"Unlike you, Noa, I don't have many connections with her, so I was wondering why she would give me something like this... so that was the meaning. But aren't these usually called couple bracelets?"
"That depends on how you think about it, Yuuka-chan. They're just bracelets of a similar design, so if you think of them as friendship bracelets, that's what they become."
"Hmm..."
Though skeptical, Yuuka put on the bracelet. When she brought it next to Noa's outstretched arm, it did indeed look like a good match, just as Noa had said.
"...But isn't it more common to pick these out together?"
"Fufu. Then on that note, how about we get matching friendship rings..."
"Th-That's okay. Rings are a bit of a hassle because of my gloves. Bracelets are better. More importantly, Rio-sunbae looking for Himari-sunbae... isn't that almost a first?"
"I know. I hope it wasn't anything serious..."
It was only a little later that the two members of Seminar learned that Rio and Himari had simply fallen for Mika's prank.
***